The Committtee of Darwinistic Fabrications
by ChickWithThePurpleGuitar
Summary: The Germans won the Great War, but left Alek and Deryn fighting as hard as they could. But when our heroes could fight no more, the Clankers absorbed the world. 100 years after the war,three girls in what used to be America have a plan to bring them back.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hola peoples! Here's my new story! Hope you like it! I apologize if the beginning's a bit rushed.**

**I own nothing.**

Chapter One

America, 2014

The Perspicacious Loris crouched in the alleyway, waiting for the traffic walkers to pass. Fabricated beasts were illegal in District 88 **(couldn't think of a better name, sorry)**, and if the loris was caught, the Committtee would never reach its goal. And Bovril couldn't do that to Lisel. The loris scampered across the street once it saw that the coast was clear. When it reached the Austrian Castle Casino at the other side of the road, Bovril sat on its haunches and took the ring out of its mouth.

"_Mr. _Sharp," Bovril said sadly.

Bovril was on a mission. The loris had lived a hundred years, waiting for this to happen. It had been an Ottoman prince, a German prisoner, a British scientist, and was now a Darwinist secret agent in a Clanker world. But the Committtee of Darwinistic Fabrications had a plan—a plan to recreate America and get rid of "The United States of Germany"; a plan to prove the mighty of the Darwinistic Empire; and most importantly, a plan to reunite Bovril with its best friends—its family; a plan to bring back Alek of Hohenberg and Deryn Sharp.

Lisel Heisenhower was getting worried. She'd sent Bovril out on a search three and a half hours ago and he still wasn't back. Lisel wondered if she should've sent someone else. Bovril was more of a pick-pocket; the kids probably would've been more sufficient prison-stealers. Maybe Lisel should've gone herself. She might've had more luck stealing a diamond ring from a police station, since her father had been friends with the chief.

Lisel paced in front of the fireplace as she thought. She was a girl who had a lot to think about for a fourteen-year-old. Her father had been a prominent mechanik, working for the Clanker authorities. But when President Schultz had found out that Father had been secretly practicing the science of fabrication,….. well, let's just say Lisel was on her own now.

That's why she'd started the Committtee. Lisel's mother paid no attention to her now, hadn't since her father'd died three years ago. Lisel had made friends with some of the younger children at the local orphanage and they helped her out. She had a plan and she needed as many people as possible.

"Lisel?" a voice said.

Oh. And then there was Rory. Lisel didn't know his real name. Just in case they ever got caught, each member of the Committtee had a codename- usually a name that came from the stories they'd heard of the famous Darwinists from the past. Rory Williams, or whatever his name was, had been Lisel's best friend since her father's death. His mother owned the Austrian Castle Casino and she'd let them use the storage rooms as their headquarters.

"Lisel," Rory repeated, poking her arm lightly.

Lisel thrust her fist out, aiming for Rory's face. Much to her dismay, he dodged the punch.

"You know me too well," Lisel muttered, then turned to face her friend. "How many times have I told you to use my codename during meetings?"

Rory rolled his eyes. "Fine. Lilit Darwin."

Lisel nodded. "Much better. Now what do you want?"

Rory looked around the room, sunlight from the window making his blonde hair gleam. "Where's the monkey?" he asked instead of replying.

Lisel sighed. Rory was bad at staying on topic like that. "First of all, Bovril is not a monkey, he's a perspicacious loris- he said so himself."

"Second of all," Rory interrupted. "Bovril is not a he. Bovril is an it."

Lisel stepped closer to the boy, anger building inside her. "Without Bovril, this committee wouldn't exist. Without _him, _we wouldn't know anything about Alek and Deryn, and we would have no way of ending this dictatorship of Clankers!"

"Well, maybe we'd be better off that way!" Rory was nearly shouting now.

"How can you say that?" Lisel cried. "Our lives are miserable! You know what'll happen when you turn eighteen! They'll send you off to some piloting camp and we'll never see each other again! And that's only in two years!" Lisel took a deep breath to keep herself from crying. "Right now, Bovril is…_retrieving _Deryn Sharp's wedding ring. If that doesn't power our machine, I don't know what will."

Rory sighed. "For the _last _time, your 'machine' is not going to—"  
>"Fighting," a voice suddenly said. "Just like <em>Mr. <em>Sharp."

Lisel turned to the storage room door and grinned at the loris standing there.

"Bovril! You've been hours!"

Lisel lifted Bovril into her arms and held him tight. "I was getting worried," she said into his fur.

Bovril took something out of his mouth and held it up for Lisel to see.

"Oh, Bovril, that's so sweet!" Lisel cried when she saw the diamond ring. "I _will _marry you, Bovril."

The loris rolled his eyes. "No; _Mr. _Sharp."

"Oh. Right. Thank you, Bovril."

The ring in Lisel's hand, Bovril hopped down from her grasp and scampered off to the adjoining room. "The kids are in the back," Lisel called.

There were 13 members of the Committtee altogether. Rory was the oldest at sixteen, but fourteen-year-old Lisel was the founder and official leader. The other 11 children's ages ranged from 5 to 12. Twelve-year-old Fritz (codename: Eddie Malone) had named the organization, but he hadn't had much education in his life, having lived in Emperor Franz Orphanage for as long as he could remember, which is why he'd ended up spelling committee with three t's.

Either way, those kids were all Lisel had, and for whatever reason, Bovril had taken a great liking to them too. Although, he _did _call Fritz "that bum-rag". Lisel had a feeling it had something to do with Fritz's codename.

"Lilit?"

Lisel turned and smiled at Fritz, who stood in the doorway, holding a remote control.

Even though it had been her idea in the first place, it was weird for Lisel to hear people call her by a different name. But the kids didn't know her real name. It was easier that way.

"Yes, Eddie?" Lisel said, forcing herself to use the codename.

Fritz showed her the remote he was holding. "The machine's acting up again," he told her. "We need help to put in the ring."

Lisel smiled and nodded, then said, "Just give me a sec. I'll be right there."

Fritz returned to the back room and Lisel sighed, turning to Rory.

"See how much they need us? We do it for them."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter! Just so you guys know, yes, Bovril is 100, but he looks exactly the same, b/c technically, we don't know the lifespan of a loris. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Please review!**

Chapter Two

Marta Schultz had been thinking about warships when the message arrived. Thinking was pretty much all she _could _do, considering she'd been in a wheelchair for four years, and her father was too busy ruling a country to pay any attention to her.

But Marta didn't mind, not really. She was used to just sitting in her chair and thinking. Lena would come talk to her sometimes, but when Lena was busy, all Marta could do was wait. Wait and think.

Marta thought about warships often, as she had been when the message came.

Her father had told her all about the Great War and Germany's victory over Britain. Marta's great-grandfather, Aleksandar, had fought in the war when he was only fifteen! Only a year older than Marta. But war wouldn't be coming again any time soon.

Marta looked up from her thinking when there was a knock on her window.

"Lena?" Marta questioned, rolling her chair closer to the window.

The window scraped open, as it did nearly every day, and Marta smiled as Lena climbed through the open space.

Lena Lee Vaughan was the police chief's daughter. She and Marta had been best friends since pre-school, but after the accident that had left Marta in a wheelchair, President Schultz had banned Lena from ever stepping foot in his house again.

Of course, she'd done it anyway.

"I swear, that climb gets harder every time," Lena complained, her voice muffled by a rolled-up piece of paper in her mouth, as she shut the window.

"You're lucky my father hasn't put bars on the window yet," Marta said, holding out her hand for the paper Lena carried.

"Found this outside," Lena said, handing Marta the scroll. "Has your name on it."

Marta unrolled the paper and studied it. It was labeled "M. Schultz" just like Lena had said. Inside, there were only seven words:

_Aleksandar, your children shall help you rule. _

And then an address: 4964 Vienna Ct.

Marta frowned, rereading the note three more times before looking up at Lena.

"It's about my great-grandfather, Aleksandar."

Lena sat on the arm of Marta's chair, reading the note. "I know this address," she said, pointing. "It's a casino downtown. My dad had to arrest some people there last week."

Being the police chief's daughter, Lena knew these types of things.

"What would a casino have to do with Aleksandar?" Marta wondered. "Father said he was a general in the Great War."

Lena shrugged. "Should we go check it out?"

Marta hesitated, staring at the letter in her hand, then nodded. "Meet me outside," she commanded.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When Marta and Lena arrived at the Austrian Castle Casino, Marta realized what the building might have to do with her ancestor. Aleksandar had been Austrian, after all.

Lena stepped forward to knock on the door, then hesitated and turned back to Marta.

"Almost forgot," she said. "You gotta be eighteen to go inside."

Marta nodded. That _did _make sense. "Is there a back door?" she asked.

Lena shrugged. "Gimme a sec."

Marta wheeled her chair into the alleyway next to the casino to wait while Lena searched for a second entrance they could use.

Ten minutes later, Marta heard Lena cry out. Marta followed the sound and found Lena at the supposed back door of the casino, being held in a head-lock by a girl not much older than Lena and Marta.

"What are you doing here?" the strange girl demanded.

Marta held up one hand in surrender and used the other to pull the letter out of her pocket.

"We received this letter today," she told the girl. "It led us here."

Still holding Lena tightly, the girl took the letter and studied it.

"What do you know about Aleksandar?" she whispered, sounding almost scared.

"He was my great-grandfather," Marta replied.

The girl's grip on Lena lightened, but she didn't release her.

"You're a descendant of Aleksandar?" she whispered.

Marta nodded. "Aleksandar von Hohenberg, right?" she clarified.

"Yes," the girl said. She finally let go of Lena and held out her hand to Marta as Lena began coughing and sputtering from almost being strangled. "I'm Lilit."

Marta shook her hand. "Marta. Marta Schultz."

Lilit narrowed her eyes. "That's the president's name." **(A/N: she means Schultz, btw. Not Marta. That'd be awkward.)**

Marta nodded. "The president is my father."

Lilit's eyes widened and she slammed the door hard, leaving Marta and Lena alone in the alleyway.

"My dad's not the president," Lena called through the door. "Can I come in?"

Lilit opened the door, said, "No," and slammed it closed again.

"I think I like her," Lena decided.

"Yes, but who _is _she?" Marta wondered,

Lena shrugged. "All we know is that she hates your dad for no apparent reason. And that Lilit isn't her real name."

"What do you mean?" Marta asked.

Lena hesitated, thinking of how to reply. "It's too British," she finally said.

"It's not British," Marta corrected.

"Well, it's not German."

"It's still not British."

"You're missing the point," Lena said.

Marta sighed. "Lilit," she called, knocking loudly on the door. "Can we talk?"

"No," the girl shouted.

"Pretty please?" Lena tried.

"No," Lilit repeated.

Marta pulled out her letter again, studying it carefully.

_Aleksandar, your children shall help you rule._

How did that make any sense? Aleksandar had died in 1984, at the age of 85. What could his children do to help him now?

Then it came to her. It was the stupidest and most unlikely idea she could possibly think of, but it put all the clues together.

"Lilit!" Marta called again. She paused to make sure the girl was listening. "I can help you bring back Aleksandar."

The door opened and Lilit stuck her head out. "You can?"

"You _can_?" Lena repeated.

Marta nodded. "I think so. But you have to tell me your plans."

Lilit hesitated, glancing around at the room behind her. Then she nodded. "Come on in."

**A/N: So, yay! Next chapter, we learn the Committtee's plans! And see more Bovril! Hope you liked the chap, I'll try to get the next one up as soon as possible. Pretty please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey, guys! Here's the next chapter. I really hope you like it. I would love, by the way, if I could get 20 reviews for this chapter (all together, I mean- I have 14). Whoever reviews for this chappie will get a preview of the next one, so pretty please review!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing. Therefore, I do not get paid for this. Therefore, I am broke. Therefore, I cannot buy the rights to this. So once again, I own nothing. It's all a circle, people.**

**Shout-out to tridecagirl whose line I kinda stole in here. I'm too lazy to state which line it is. Just know it's from her amazing drabble collection Snapshots and that you should go read it as soon as you're done reading (and reviewing) this. Thanks a bunch tridecagirl, for letting me borrow your line. :)**

**WARNING (type…thing): PLEASE READ THIS! I am not in a wheelchair. I don't have any close friends in wheelchairs (just friends' parents). Therefore, I know nothing about the hardships of being in a wheelchair or just what it's like. To be honest, I put Marta in a wheelchair because my friends and I were acting out this story and I was too lazy to get out of my chair. So, I apologize deeply if any people reading this are in wheelchairs and are offended by Marta's actions or Lisel's thoughts. Please forgive me and tell me if I ever say something that's insulting to you. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Now, on to the chapter. **

Chapter Three

Lisel reluctantly led the strange girls inside. She'd worked so hard keeping the Committtee a secret for the past three years, and now… she was the president's daughter, this "Marta" girl. And if the _president_ found out…Lisel would end up just like her father.

But on the other hand…Marta claimed to be able to help bring back Alek. Lisel had no idea how the girl knew what the Committtee was doing, but at the moment it didn't matter.

The time machine wasn't working. The ring hadn't been enough. Lisel had promised the kids it would be working by tonight, but without Marta's help, she might not be able to keep that promise.

So she led the girls inside and made sure to lock the door behind them.

"So… what is this place?" Marta asked, looking around.

Lisel raised an eyebrow at her. "It's the storeroom of a casino; what does it look like?"

Marta rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. But what do _you _use it for?"

"I'm getting to that," Lisel promised. "But first… you know, sit down. Make yourself comfortable."

Marta's friend, whose name Lisel didn't know, plopped herself down in a chair and put her feet up on the table, though she quickly removed them after a stern look from Marta.

The girl was also very fidgety, Lisel noticed. She had a tendency of piling her dark brown hair into a bun shape on her head and then letting it fall down over her shoulders again. **(A/N: This strange idiosyncrasy- love that word- will be important later on, by the way)**

Marta, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. The girl was very still and proper- why wouldn't she be, after all, being the president's daughter? Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back and her dark green eyes shined as she surveyed the Committtee's headquarters. Lisel couldn't help but notice how _comfortable_ Marta looked in that horrid chair of hers, and Lisel wondered what had happened that could've gotten her into it, and so used to it. Lisel tried to avert her eyes, though. Marta might not help the Committtee if she was insulted.

"Let's start from the beginning," Lisel began, taking a seat across from the other two. "Once again, I'm Lilit." Lisel had to struggle not to use her real name. "I think it might be better if we don't share last names."

"Agreed," Marta's friend said. "I'm Lena."

"And you already know my name," Marta said distractedly, still gazing around the room. "Now, what do you use this place for?"

Lisel sighed. This girl sure didn't beat around the bush.

"We call it the Committtee," Lisel explained. "The Committtee of Darwinistic Fabrications."

Marta gasped. "Fabrications? But- but they're illegal!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Lena muttered, her feet on the table again.

"You're welcome, Lieutenant Sarcasm," Marta replied; then said to Lisel, "But really—you know you could get arrested, right?"

Lisel looked down at her hands and mumbled, "You see why I was reluctant to let you in."

Marta nodded in understanding. "I would never give you away, though! My father wouldn't listen to me, anyway."

Lisel shrugged. "Besides, it's not like we actually fabricate. We wouldn't know how—the oldest of us is only sixteen. No, Miss Schultz. The Committtee has another plan."

"Plan?" Lena asked, her head tilted in confusion.

Marta pulled her strange letter out of her pocked. "How will you bring him back?" she whispered.

"Bring who back?" Lena questioned, completely lost.

"We have a machine," Lisel said to Marta, ignoring Lena.

"A machine that does _what_?" Lena demanded. "Seriously, guys, what are we talking about?"

Lisel sighed. "The Committtee and I have built a time machine to bring back Aleksandar."

Marta gasped, while Lena just looked even more confused.

"How does it work?" the former whispered. **(A/N: Marta whispers a lot. Don't know why)**

Lisel hesitated, thinking of how to explain. Finally, she said, "Let me back up a bit. It'll make things a bit less confusing."

"_Thank_ you," Lena muttered.

Lisel took a deep breath; then began to explain.

"It started three years ago. It was winter, but I wasn't in school—uh, family issues, you see—and I was sitting on my porch when I received a package. I occasionally get mail from distant family and such, so I wasn't surprised when it came, but the strange thing was- there was no address on it."

Lisel took another deep breath; then continued. "The label on the package simply read- 'To the most capable descendant of Zaven in 2014.' And then, in smaller letters- 'From Doctor Emma Nora Darwin Barlow.'" **(A/N: According to Wikipedia, that's her full name; also she's only 29 in 1914 which makes Varlow really awkward considering she was married and with two kids at that point and Volger's like forty; anyway)**

Lisel paused, but the girls nodded for her to go on. "You can imagine that I was hesitant to open the box. But I was too curious, so I did. Inside were only two things: a cage and a very, very, _very_ long letter.

"The letter explained that the writer—Dr. Barlow—was a Darwinist scientist—long dead now—who had interacted—and even been acquainted—with Aleksandar von Hohenberg and Deryn Sharp. She told the story of Alek's family's role in the starting of the Great War. She told about how Alek had escaped his home and his country's 'allies' who were chasing him. He met Deryn during his escape—or Dylan, really, since she'd been disguised as a boy at the time so she could be a soldier."

Lisel went on to explain to Marta and Lena all the great adventures Alek and Deryn had had a hundred years ago. She explained about the couple's time on the _Leviathan_—while Deryn was a boy and a girl—and even stories of their married life that were a bit too personal to be in most German accounts.

By the time Lisel had finished basically telling Alek and Deryn's life stories, Lena and Marta looked more than interested. But, although the visiting girls were unaware of it, Lisel hadn't told them the whole story. She deliberately left out Alek and Deryn's pet loris, now the Committtee's top agent. Lisel didn't know why, but she wanted to keep Bovril a secret for as long as possible.

"And at the very end of the letter," she concluded, "Dr. Barlow explained that, even in 1967—when she was writing it—she had a feeling that the Germans would continue to prevail—that the Darwinistic Empire would fall. So she gave me instructions—instructions to build a machine."

"A… time machine," Marta clarified.

Lisel nodded. "The blueprints were all there. The parts needed were clearly listed. The only thing we really had to find was the fuel. Obviously, a time machine can't run on batteries or gasoline. Dr. Barlow explained in that letter that to power the machine, we- that is, the Committtee, of course- had to locate artifacts- or old objects- that used to belong to Alek and Deryn. Any fingerprints on the objects contained something that Darwinists called 'life threads', but scientists refer to as 'DNA'. This DNA was the coordinates for the time machine, as well as fuel. But so far, what we have isn't enough."

"What artifacts do you have?" Marta asked.

Lisel thought back. "The first thing was part of the package. It was the fur of one of Alek's and Deryn's… uh, pets." Lisel once again chose not to mention that they had the pet itself as well. "Then, we found an old newspaper clipping of the two of them in on of their memorial sites- it must've been a newspaper they'd owned because it had Deryn's DNA all over it.

"After that, things got a little rougher," she continued. "Both being from the heart of Europe, Alek and Deryn don't have many artifacts in the U.S. But then, recently, some war memories were sent over from Europe, and a whole bunch of Alek and Deryn's stuff was part of it. So, earlier today, our best agent, uh… liberated Deryn's wedding ring, which we just put into the machine. But… it wasn't enough. The machine's still only halfway fueled. And anything else we could use is under lock and key."

Lisel sat back in her chair, glad to be done with the explanation.

"I'm still confused," Lena said. "What's the time machine supposed to _do_?"

Marta rolled her eyes. "Well, _obviously_, they're going to go back in time, explain the country's situation to Aleksandar, bring him back to the present, and have him fix everything." She turned back to Lisel. "Right?"

Lisel nodded. "Exactly. But we can't do anything of the sort until we have enough fuel. And I promised the kids it'd be tonight."

Marta frowned. "How old is your youngest?"

"Five and a half. But she stays with her brother, who's ten, most of the time," Lisel replied.

"What do their parents think of this?" Lena wondered aloud with a laugh.

Lisel looked down at her feet. "Most of us are orphans."

Lena self-consciously lowered her feet from where they still rested on the table. "Sorry," she muttered awkwardly.

Marta was staring at Lisel, speechless.

Lisel shrugged. "It's alright. Not like it's your fault or anything. But Marta," she turned to the girl, "you said you could help us. If I told you our plans. So can you?"

Marta's hands gripped the arms of her chair tightly as she took a deep breath, shaking herself out of whatever strange state she'd fallen into.

"I think I can," the president's daughter said. "You see, my father has this—"

Marta was cut off by the squeak of the opening door. Coming from the other room, Bovril padded in, holding a tray of tea and cookies in his paws.

But when Bovril saw Marta, the tray fell to the floor with a _crash_.

"_Mr. _Sharp!" Bovril exclaimed, running forward. Before anyone could even wonder what was happening, the loris leapt into Marta's arms.

Immediately, Marta let out a little, "Oh," of surprise, but after half a minute or so of Bovril cuddling up to her chest, she began to hesitantly stroke his fur.

"Sorry," Lisel said, trying to take Bovril from the girl's arms.

But Bovril's claws tightened around her shirt, and Marta waved Lisel away, assuring her, "It's alright. I like him."

Lisel and Lena watched as Marta, hands shaking, held Bovril close to her. Every once in a while, Bovril would mutter, "_Mr. _Sharp," or, "Missed you," but Lisel could tell that Marta only pretended to make sense of the words.

As she cuddled the loris, Marta whispered, "Who does he think I am?"

"You're related to Aleksandar, right?" Lisel asked.

Marta nodded.

"Then he thinks you're Deryn."  
>Marta shook her head. "I'm so sorry, <em>liebe<em>," she murmured to the loris. "I'm not who you think I am."

Bovril ignored the words and was soon asleep in her arms. Marta kept him in her lap since he held her too tightly to be let go.

The three girls sat in slightly awkward silence for a minute or two, until Lisel remembered that Marta had been about to reveal something about the object that might save the Committtee.

She was about to ask the girl about it, when there came a loud banging on the back door and shout through the wood. "Police! Open up!"

**A/N: Pretty epic ending, huh? In case it wasn't obvious, that was the police talking, not someone saying the police were there. Wasn't sure if that was clear or not. Anyway, hope you guys liked the chapter. I'm pretty sure it's my longest yet (this makes me happy). Pretty please review (and remember that all reviewers get a sneak peek for chapter four)! I'll try to update soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey, guys... Remember, like a year ago, when I told you I'd give the reviewers of the last chapter a sneak peek of this one and then I'd update? Well… yeah, obviously that didn't happen. Really, really sorry about that, guys. I had chapter four written this whole time, and a bit of chapter five, but life and laziness happened, and I just never got to it. I'm really sorry. So, if you guys are still with me, here's chapter four. To make it up to you, anyone who reviewed the last chapter, and anyone who reviews this chapter, can tell me in a review a plot or a character you want me to write a oneshot about, and I'll write it, dedicated to you. Now, here's the long-awaited chapter four. Please enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: I have a lack of ownage. **

Chapter Four

"Quick! Hide the loris!" Lisel shouted.

Marta pried Bovril from her lap and handed him to Lisel, who locked him in a closet where, hopefully, he'd stay hidden.

Just as Lisel stepped in front of the closet, the back door burst open.

Six police officers burst through the door, holding out their guns. "Put your hands up where I can see them!" one shouted.

The three girls raised their arms hesitantly.

The officer blinked in surprise. "They're just kids," he muttered to his comrades. He turned behind him and called, "Chief! They're just kids!"

Lisel saw Lena's eyes widen. "Chief?" she squeaked.

A man pushed his way through and stopped suddenly when he saw the girls. "Lena? What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Lena waved shyly. "Hi Daddy."

"Daddy?!" Lisel exclaimed.

Marta nodded. "Daddy."

The police chief turned to her. "Marta, does your father know you're here?"

"Not _exactly,_" Marta replied.

Head Police Chief Kurt Vaughan sighed. "What has gotten into you two? Sneaking out and going to a _casino?_"

"Only the back of one," Lena muttered.

"Do not sass me, young lady," the chief scolded. "And I don't doubt this whole incident was your idea and you just dragged Marta into it."

"No, that's not how it—" Marta began.

"Please, Chief," Lisel interrupted, stepping forward. "It was my fault. You see… I work here. And when Marta and Lena walked by, I asked if they would help me with something."

The chief gave her a doubtful look. "The neighbor who called us said someone was in a choke-hold."

Lisel cleared her throat awkwardly. "It was a head-lock, actually. But, uh… they were a little hard to convince."

Chief Vaughan gave the girl a long look. "Who are you? How do you know my daughter?"

Lisel shifted her gaze to the floor. Her father had been friends with the chief, so it was possible that he could recognize her. But hopefully, three years of avoiding the police station on the way home from school would keep her out of his memory.

"Lena's an old friend of mine," Lisel said simply. And just as she said it, she realized the statement was true. Lisel could just barely remember playing in the station with the girl while their fathers talked about politics.

"Either way, you forced her to unwillingly come with you, which is a criminal offense," the chief pointed out.

Lena gasped. "No, Daddy! You can't take her to prison!"

"Oh, it's not just her," he assured them all. "You're all coming downtown with me."

Lena rolled her eyes. "Daddy, it's not 'downtown' when the station's two blocks away."

Her father rubbed his temples tiredly. "You know what I mean." He gestured to the other officers. "Get them in the squad car."

Police officers, Marta noticed, were not nearly as formal as they ought to be.

Two of the men were laughing as they pushed Lena and Lilit towards the police walker. Although they tired to whisper, Marta overheard the officers muttering about "another family arrest." She assumed that they were talking about the many times Lena had been taken "downtown."

The chief himself pushed Marta's chair to the walker, saying nothing. Marta always felt bad when she saw him, because she knew that he felt guilty about what his daughter had done to Marta and that nothing she said could change that.

"You know I'm going to have to tell your father about this, right?" he asked her as he hoisted her chair into the walker and strapped her in."

Marta nodded. "I know."

The six officers and their chief climbed into the pilot's cabin of the walker and started up the engines.

The machine was quite like a turtle, Marta noticed. The head was where the pilots sat, their viewport opening like eyes. The three "criminals" were on (or, in, really) the back of the animal with a clear see-through shell over them.

Next to where Marta's chair was strapped to the floor, Lena and Lilit sat on two blocks of metal that stuck out of the wall/shell. Lena looked like she lived there, while Lilit was shaking in fear like a lost puppy.

The three girls sat in slightly awkward silence the entire ride to the station (which honestly wasn't that long a ride). When the walker stopped, the police chief sent a message from the pilot's cabin through an intercom, telling them to stay there until further notice.

Which gave them plenty of time to talk.

Lena unbuckled herself, then hopped down from her seat and helped to unstrap Marta. Once free, Marta wheeled her chair to the other end of the cabin so she could face the other two.

"So, Lilit," Marta began. "What are the other Committtee members like?"

Lilit shrugged. "Oh, you know. Most of them are just kids, so they don't really know what they're doing. But they're so sweet when they try. I just… don't want to let them down, you know?"

Marta nodded. Lena wasn't really paying attention. She was fiddling with the intercom her father had spoken through earlier.

"Lena, what in the world are you doing?" Marta asked her best friend.

"I am _trying,_" Lena replied as she poked the machine with a large stick, "to rig this thing up so we can listen in to my dad's radio and see what they're doing out there." Lena glanced outside to where her father stood conversing about something important-looking with some of the other officers. "I know something big's happening, but I can't figure out what!"

Marta rolled her eyes and turned away as Lena continued to try to hijack the police equipment.

"Anyway," Marta said. "About that artifact I can give you. You see, my father has this—"

"I got it!" Lena suddenly exclaimed. A crackling noise came from the intercom, and then a voice.

"Attention all units. Attention all units. The president has just been robbed!"

**A/N: I know, right? Cliffie! Anyway, I hope that chapter was good enough to make up for the long wait. I promise the next chapter won't take as long. Please review, and give me oneshot suggestions to serve as my apology. **


End file.
